Page 16 of Truck Hard

“I didn’t know it at the time. Until five months ago, I thought he was Charlie’s son.” Bitterness creeps into my voice. “What was I supposed to say anyway? That I slept with another man’s fiancée? That I could have gotten her pregnant right before her wedding? That I let her marry him anyway because I was too much of a coward to fight for her?”

“You were young—”

“I was old enough to know better.” The words come out sharper than intended. “Old enough to know what Charlie’s family was like, what they were capable of. But I convinced myself she’d be better off with him. That he could give her everything I couldn’t.”

The game plays on, forgotten in the background. In the kitchen, Grams’s humming has stopped. I wonder if she’s listening, if she’s known all along too.

“Don’t be like me, son.” Dad’s voice is quiet but intense. “Don’t hide from your responsibilities. Don’t push away the people who matter because you’re afraid of failing them.”

I turn to look at him, surprised by the raw emotion in his voice. He meets my gaze steadily.

“I know I wasn’t the father you boys needed after your mother died.” He continues. “I was lost without Susanne. I was so scared of messing up, of not being enough, that I pulled away. My cowardness made Garret think I blamed him for her death. And then I tried to fill the void with other women, thinking maybe if I found the right one, I could make our family whole again. All I ended up doing was making more sons that I didn’t raise. I will always regret that.”

The smell of apple pie grows stronger, and I know Grams is definitely listening now. She’s never approved of Dad’s string of relationships after Mom died, of the way he brought woman after woman into our lives only to push them away when things got too real.

“All I did was hurt you boys more.” Dad’s voice cracks slightly. “Made you think love wasn’t worth fighting for. Made you think running away was better than risking failure.”

“Dad—”

He holds up a hand, stopping me. “I see you doing the same thing I did. Pushing Hannah away because you’re afraid of not being enough. Trust me when I say, you don’t want to watch your son grow up from a distance. You’ll regret that until the day you die.”

My throat tightens. “It’s not that simple.”

“No.” He agrees. “It’s not. But nothing worth having ever is.” He leans forward in his chair, elbows on his knees. “That boy deserves to know his father. And Hannah... she deserves the love you’ve got for her.”

The truth hits me hard. He’s right. Of course he’s right. I’ve spent years watching from the shadows, telling myself I was protecting her. But maybe I was just protecting myself.

A timer dings in the kitchen, followed by the sound of the oven door opening. The smell of fresh apple pie fills the house, so strong I can almost taste it.

“Your grandmother’s timing was always impeccable.” Dad’s lips twitch into a small smile. “Go help her get that pie out. And Liam?”

I pause halfway to standing. “Yeah?”

“Do better than I did. I fathered seven amazing sons with four different women and didn’t do right by any of them.” His eyes, so like my own, hold a mixture of regret and hope. “Be the man I should have been. The one I know you can be.”

Before I can respond, Grams calls from the kitchen. “Liam! Come get your pie while it’s hot!”

Dad waves me away, turning back to the game. But as I head toward the kitchen, his words echo in my head.

Do better than I did.

Grams stands at the counter, carefully transferring the pie to a cooling rack. She doesn’t look at me as I enter, but I can see the knowing smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“Sit.” She gestures toward the table. “Let it cool for a few minutes first.”

I obey, watching as she moves around the kitchen with practiced ease. She pulls out plates, forks, and the good vanilla ice cream from the freezer. Everything is deliberate. Everything is perfect.

“You heard.” It’s not a question.

“Walls are thin in this old house.” She sets a plate in front of me. “And I’m not deaf yet.”

“Grams—”

“Saw him today. When I dropped off more food.” She cuts me off, her tone matter-of-fact. “That boy has your eyes. Your smile too, when he lets himself show it. Which probably isn’t enough, poor thing.”

My heart clenches. I’ve noticed the same things, watching Cameron from afar. When he looks at me, it’s like looking at my younger self.

“I should have known.” Grams continues, cutting into the pie with precise movements. “She kept that boy away for all these years. Never lettin’ anyone meet him. I just don’t know what to think about that.” She turns her stern no-nonsense stare on me. “Tell me you didn’t know. Tell me you didn’t let that boy grow up without knowin’ his real father.”

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